Cooper Tires Recommends You Change Your Tires When You See This
Tuesday, November 16, 2010 12:29:59 AM
Most car owners don't change their tires until it's too late: they either have a flat or have an accident that could have been prevented had they replaced their tires when they needed to. Don't be a victim of over-worn and dangerous tires. Heed these warning signs and you'll keep yourself and your family safe on the road.
Routine maintenance is the vital aspect of ensuring the healthy life of your vehicle. However, most car owners like you and me tend to think of maintenance in terms of either the interior, or perhaps the paint job. Hardly anyone starts to consider the tires. This is a huge mistake. The tires are arguably the most important part of the car. In many times, the average car owner does not realize that his tires have gone bad until there is a major problem. That being the case, it is crucial that you inspect your tires regularly or have a trusted mechanic do it for you.
Inspecting your tires yourself isn't difficult if you know what to look for. You can start by checking for excessive wear. Thankfully, most tires on the market today come with a wear indicator built into the tire itself. This indicator takes the form of hard rubber threads protruding from body of the tire. These threads become more noticeable on heavily worn tires. When the height of the tread wears down to roughly 1/16 of an inch from the contact surface of the tire, you should seriously consider changing them. Some states even have laws indicating that your tires should be replaced at this time. Not all tires wear uniformly on all areas of the surface. But if you happen to see two or possibly three places on the surface of your tire where there is 1/16 of an inch of tread or less, you should definitely replace them. To continue to run with such little tread left on your tires would be extremely dangerous. .
Another good way to test your tires your self is using a method that mechanics have known about for years: the penny test. All you have to do is take a regular American Lincoln-head penny and place it between any two tread surfaces of the tire you want to inspect. Place the penny in such a way that the very crown of honest Abe's head fits inside the group the tread. If there's not enough tread left on your tires to cover the top of the president's head, you definitely need to change the tires, and the sooner the better.
Whether you use the penny test or you just notice excessive wear on your tires, Cooper Tire company recommends you keep yourself and your family safe by inspecting them often. You can increase the life of your tires by checking them for proper inflation. Having the right amount of air in your tires helps them wear uniformly and safely.
Are you concerned for your family's safety on the highways? If not, you should be. Most car owners don't realize they have a tire problem until it's too late or they have a disaster. Don't be that guy. Jeff Grissom makes it easy to tell when you need to change your tires, and what tires you should have for your car or truck. Visit http://www.coopertiresfacts.com to make sure your family is protected on the road so you can get them home safely.
